Tender Loving Christmas
by klcm
Summary: Morgan decides Garcia needs some TLC over Christmas
1. The New Plan

**Disclaimer: As always, I don't own a damn thing! **

**Finally getting around to posting this! **

**For C.C. Baptiste ****... (and ****Christmas Gift Fix Exchange Challenge)**

**Pairing: **Morgan/Garcia

**Song: **This Christmas – Donny Hathaway version

**Three prompts: **Strawberry lemon cheesecake/ Mistletoe/ Open fire

_None are used at the moment... _

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

Penelope tried to be festive, God did she try, but she just couldn't master it. Not for love nor money. She looked around, there was tinsel, baubles, lights, hell, even a tiny fake tree, but Christmas was not what exuded her at all.

She huffed as she turned the channel over for the umpteenth time; finding either reruns on, an old and near enough forgotten rubbish Christmas movie or the news documenting yet more snow.

She gave up on the TV, leaving it to talk to itself and looked out of the window, even this high up she could see the snow falling heavily outside and she was cooped up away from it.

Some Christmas this was turning out to be.

_Bah Humbug!_ She mentally screamed at herself.

"You know, you have every right to feel like that, Baby Girl," Came Derek's baritone voice from the doorway, he had one of those killer smile's on his face as he rested against the doorway, a present under arm. "Think I got here just in time."

"Handsome," Penelope started as she turned herself uncomfortably to look at him, "you're supposed to be at the airport by now, catching what limited flights out there are."

"I have other priorities." He told her and approached her, "so how you doing?"

"Even more annoyed for you being here," she said softly, a pout on her lips, "but thank you."

Derek smiled at her, and put the small brightly wrapped box on her lap, "considering you're locked up in this place a couple of more days, I thought I'd give you a little something to keep you going."

Penelope raised an eyebrow at him, but he prompted her to open the box up, so she obeyed. Looking in her confusion grew. "Derek?"

"Look, you've got a broken leg and well," he grabbed the fluffy key ring and pulled it out, "I thought this was your colour." He shrugged as he dangled the key in front of her.

"You're asking me to move in with you?" She asked him warily.

Derek grabbed the key as he held on to the purple fluffy key ring and nodded, "you cannot make it up all those stairs at yours so I thought this was the better route."

"You gave up Christmas for me?"

Derek frowned, "Now who said anything about giving up Christmas?"

Penelope sighed, the guilt riddling her, "You've been looking forward to Christmas since you were allowed time off, Handsome. Momma Morgan's big ole Christmas in the beauty of Chicago..."

"Shall I let you in on a secret?"

"Nothing's going to stop you." Penelope quipped.

"I would have got the grandbaby talk all over and I would, yet again, have no response for it, Baby Girl." Derek told her straight off, "Plus, if I'd gone, like you black mailed the others, then you would have had to have stayed in hospital until someone was around to look after you."

"That's a lie!" She exclaimed at him, "Not all of Christmas."

"I spoke to the doctor, with the damage that crash did, you would've only left this place if you could guarantee help, so I can." He said with a self righteous smirk on his face. "I can take you home, and give you the Christmas you so nearly lost out on."

Penelope's eyes watered, "Thank you," she said again and just felt Derek wrap his arms around her as she wiped her tears away.

"What are best friends for eh?" He asked her as he comforted her.

"Not for Christmas that's for sure." Penelope told him as she then went to cling onto him tightly.

Derek just held on because only 3 weeks earlier had he been pacing the hospital's walls in a mad panic after receiving a call to tell him that Penelope had been involved in a severe car crash.

Derek couldn't contain his anger as he paced the hospital corridors hours later; he rushed back and forth before repeating the pattern. His baby girl had been fighting for her life and it was only a couple of weeks before Christmas. It shouldn't have been like this, she should've been at home, wrapping presents like she told him she was planning to do.

He'd watched the team wait with the same nerves, this time was by far worse than when she was shot. They were altogether when he had gotten the call and they'd all arrived together to find out she was in surgery.

Likewise to when she was shot, they had all been together when the doctor came out to tell them the news. Unlike before he couldn't offer them hope or good news.

After having her car hit a patch of ice on the road she'd spun out only to be hit by a lorry, in turn her car had rolled over several times trapping Penelope in its process.

The entire accident left Penelope in a coma, and they'd all sat around waiting for a Christmas miracle.

They had their prayers answered when she woke up nearly a fortnight later.

Derek, ever since, hadn't left her side and refused to be anywhere else this Yule time.

"So Baby Girl," He started, bringing her attention back to him and away from the keys, "Seeing as I'm the one that's leading this recovery, what do you say to moving in?"

"Well, Cup Cake, I don't get much option so I guess; let's do this!"

Derek's smile literally exploded, "We can even make Christmas dinner." He said and leant in, "just think, our first Christmas _alone_."

"Probably my first not alone." She told him and her mood slipped a little, "so what other plans do you have?"

"That can wait, what do you mean your first Christmas not alone."

"Doesn't matter," Penelope shrugged at him, immediately wishing she hadn't done that as the pain rushed through her.

"No, Princess, what was that comment for?"

Penelope looked up at Derek, her eyes watering, her lips pinched as they held away the emotions waiting to burst.

"C'mon..." He prompted and took her hand.

She looked down, "every year I stick around here on my own." She then looked up and tried to smile, "I don't go anywhere for Christmas, and I never once got an invite to Kevin's so I just used to keep it quiet and stick around here and then hideaway."

Derek's look showed her he wasn't pleased.

"You had families to see, I wasn't going to interrupt that. I go help out with the plays at the centre and stuff, and do extra counselling sessions but since my parents died I've not really be one to celebrate this time of year." She looked at him more intently now, "Especially on my own."

"Baby, I would've taken you to Chicago."

Penelope shook her head, "I wouldn't have let you." She said with a smile, "I'd have done it this time had I not had that crash."

"Well, I never ever thought I'd say this, but I'm so glad you did have it." He smiled her, "Do you even bother with a tree?"

Penelope bit her lip, "just a tiny one."

Derek almost glared at her.

"C'mon! A tree for one?" She asked him and tilted her head, "I just never saw the real point, I put a few decorations up but nothing that's really mind blowing. I do that at work for you guys." She teased him lightly.

"Well, it's a good thing I am staying behind."

"Oh God," She started, dreading what was to come. "Why's that? Or do I even want to ask?"

Derek chuckled, his smile sticking firmly on his face. He sat down on the bed now, leaning over her, oh did he have ideas for this year, "Count Christmas 2010 as your best Christmas ever."

Penelope could fell his breath on her, the minty freshness of it, and she worried about her breath, something she'd never done before. She was aware of her probably haggard looking appearance; the cuts that sat on her features from the blast of glass from the initial impact of the crash, she was aware of her not properly washed hair and all because Derek was looking at her in a weird way.

She was finding this all too bizarre but in the same way, she was finally excited about breaking free of the hospital.

"We're going to put lights up everywhere and I'm going to get you the biggest Christmas tree ever and all your presents are going under it."

"Oh yeah?" She asked him, "What about yours?"

"I'm more worried about yours." He told her and sat back away, "and then on Christmas day we're going to open presents, have the biggest breakfast ever and then chill out while dinner cooks and then we will be pulling crackers over a Christmas turkey."

Penelope smiled at him, "you've got it all planned."

He looked at her with certainty, "we will have us the best Christmas in the history of us. We just need to get the ball rolling."

"We do, Handsome, when's that going to start?"

"Tomorrow when I get you out of here, that's when." He told her stood up after he winked at her.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

**A/N:** _So there it is =) The beginning of Christmas for these two..._


	2. Bringing On The Best Christmas

**Disclaimer: As always, I don't own a damn thing! **

**Song: **This Christmas – Donny Hathaway version

**Three prompts: **Strawberry lemon cheesecake/ Mistletoe/ Open fire

_AGAIN... no prompts used..._

_Thanks for all the reviews, favourites and alerts =)_

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"Bit more and..." Derek commentated, "you're done," he said as he finally got her settled on the couch.

Penelope laughed a little as he pushed on the arm of the sofa and straightened up yet continued to look down at her, eyeing up the pillows, wondering if she was completely comfortable there.

"I'm fine, it's good to be out so this is even better than good," Penelope told him with a small smile, a hand pushing on her tender side as she tried her hardest to manoeuvre with her leg bound into a cast up three quarters of her leg. "Perfect even." She groaned as she gave up, still smiling at him.

"You don't look fine." He said concerned, "you look a little peaky there, Baby Girl."

Penelope looked at him with a serious expression, "are you being serious there, Hot Stuff?" She asked him in mocked seriousness, "Look at me, remember what happened, then look out the window at that snow and tell me why I'd look peaky."

"Okay, I know, I just worry." He said at her and she could read his concern as if he were holding it on a sign, "the last couple of weeks scared the hell out of me that's all."

Penelope's eyes watered, he hadn't shown this side yet. He'd been strong for her, kept the morale high and looked after her when she needed him and came to her straight after work. Now she was seeing the Derek that had sat by her bedside while she remained unresponsive and quite literally scared them for nearly two long weeks.

Her heart thudded harder at the sight of him in front of her. She'd never seen him this vulnerable, not even after the worse cases or even when he came back after the truth of Buford came out. Never. But right now, it was literally dripping from every pour on him.

"That's all, Baby Girl, it's been a long couple of weeks, I'm just glad I got to take you home." He told her and smiled, the vulnerable look disappearing instantly, he winked and turned to go towards the kitchen.

"Now, who would've thought you of all people would need me to be invalid before you got to take me home," she called after him, her tone somewhat husky with seduction, "I mean, most men just ask for an invite."

She heard him laugh as he disappeared into the kitchen, the sound of his laugh resonated in her mind as she tried to push herself up enough to master a comfier position.

"Now is not the time to be Miss Independent." Derek told her as he entered only minutes later, finding Penelope fluffing her own pillows, he put the drinks down and went and helped her. "If you're not comfortable, you just tell me." He fluffed each pillow, piling them next to her, "now you want to lay with your legs on the sofa or with them on the coffee table?"

"Well..." she said and looked at her options, "if I lay down you're secluded to the armchair alone."

"It's okay; I can kick back and know I'll have a perfect view of both you and the TV." He teased her.

"Wow chivalry never died huh?" She asked sarcastically. "Well I guess laying down if you're okay to watch _both_."

"Oh I'll be watching one more than the other." He said to her in a low tone and helped left her slightly.

"Erm, watch out, I'm heavy on my own, let alone adding dead weight to it on my leg."

"Don't make me drop you over my knee and spank you." He told her warningly, obviously the comment hitting a nerve.

Penelope winced, "Don't, the mere thought of being bent over any way is painful right now." She told him strained as she helped as much as she could and then with ease her moved her and grabbed the pillows, still holding onto her with one arm around her and then placed the pillows systematically.

She saw absolutely no sigh of strain or struggle on his face, no shake of a muscle in his arms at the hold on her.

"You make a comment like that again and I'll hold out until you're out of a cast to subject you to that punishment."

Penelope smiled softly, a blush hitting her paled cheeks as he placed a kiss on her forehead and then backed off to grab a blanket. "Ah, not punishment if I enjoy it, my friend." She told him quite outright and grinned at him.

"We'll see if that's still the same theory when it happens." He turned to grab her drink; he turned back, "Hot chocolate, marshmallows and whipped cream."

Penelope's eyes brightened at that, a small curved formed on her paled lips, "Aw," she said emotionally and leant forward as much as she could and whipped her finger through the cream and tap Derek's nose before licking the rest of the cream off, "perfect." She told him and reached for the cup, "Thanks, Handsome."

Derek chuckled, wiping his nose, and shook his head as he grabbed his own cup and sunk into the armchair, he moaned in pleasure at sitting down.

"Pull a muscle hey?"

"That's two spankings for the gorgeous red." He commented and grabbed the remote, "whatcha wanna watch, Baby?"

"Something not Christmas orientated or reruns."

"DVD it is," he told her and just pushed the on button on the remote and the DVD player hummed to life.

Penelope watched suspiciously as he didn't make any movement to change the disc in the drive and just let it play out. It didn't take her long to find out and she settled down with her drink and a smile permanently on her face.

"You watch this on your own?" She asked him curiously as she realised this wasn't the last DVD they'd watched together.

Derek shook his head, not looking at her, his eyes still on the TV. "Nope, I watched most of our films while you were in the hospital. It was either this or sitting in the hospital to fill up the time while I couldn't sleep. Hotch wouldn't let me do the latter."

Penelope felt guilt rumble through her, the truth of their pain coming out now. She realised now why they were so reluctant to leave her this festive season.

Now Derek looked at her, "Didn't have the same affect without you, Sweet Thing." He told her and smiled, it wasn't a fully happy one, more sad but relieved all at once. "Had to pass the time while you slept it away."

Penelope's eyes dropped a little and she looked at him, a small smile on her face now, her eyes all full with tears, she nodded, "Nothing ever has the same effect without me, Handsome." She told him, "and well I like the giving and receiving idea of Christmas, had to make it get here quicker somehow didn't I?"

"Yeah how's that working out now, Princess?" He quipped at her and laughed as she pulled a face and stuck her tongue out at him, "That well hey?"

"Oh I'll pull out all the acts to have a chocolate God look after me." Penelope teased him, she felt quite comfortable having a game of word volley right now, she loved moments like this, no one else delivered lines like Derek Morgan that was for sure.

"You shouldn't need to be hurt for someone to look after you, Baby; you should have it handed to you." He told her as he twisted in the chair to turn his attention away from the TV for a moment, "Kevin could've been man enough to step in and help, or your brother's could've been grown up enough to answer our calls when we didn't know what was going to happen to you."

Penelope wanted to flinch at the anger Derek was now exhibiting over this matter, this, this sudden rage, was something she hadn't expected. The sadness yes, the vulnerability maybe, but this anger definitely not.

"You found out who you're family were the day I got that call about the crash, and they weren't the ones on the other side of the country that never picked up the damn phone. They were the ones that were sitting in that waiting room waiting to take you home."

Penelope bit her cut lip as she listened to him, her chest became tight, she knew who her family were and weren't. This didn't need to happen for her to know that, this just verified it furthermore.

"So never ever think you have to ask any of us to look after you when you need it. We know when to step in and we will." He smiled at her calmly, a complete opposite emotion to the heated tone he'd just used. "As far as I'm concerned whatever happens in life, you'll always be a top priority to me."

Penelope's heart fluttered at that, "Works both ways you know that right?"

Derek's smile grew into an adorable grin, "I know that, Princess, and I'm happy to have someone like you to worry about me."

"Comes with the job; the professional one and the personal one." She mused at him sincerely, "Thank you for this."

"Oh, the hot chocolate, no biggie, Baby, there'll be more." He joked, knowing full well that that was no what she was going on about. "All the other stuff, now that was the easy part."

"I bet," she told him knowingly, "so how we doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Living arrangements? Shopping? Cooking? Everything."

"Ah well, I was gonna leave you here resting, I expect you to sleep this through by the way, and I'm gonna go to shopping, pop to yours and be back before you wake up." He told her and the sat up properly on the chair, "oh and I'm also going to get us a tree."

"You're hell bent on that idea aren't you?" She asked him as her head tilted, "the one about making this the best Christmas..."

"Oh hell yes, woman, I am!" He told her and she could see the wickedness of his child size growing at the thought of it all and she didn't have the heart to kill that and so decided all she could do was go with the flow and enjoy it.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

**A/N:** _Put you're names down for having Derek Morgan give you the best Christmas ever here... ;)_


	3. The Making Of Perfection

**Disclaimer: As always, I don't own a damn thing! **

**Song: **This Christmas – Donny Hathaway version

**Three prompts: **Strawberry lemon cheesecake/ Mistletoe/ Open fire

_Right! No replies as of yet... be horribly busy, work and helping out Wednesday, and today I've been a bit of a headless chicken with Christmas shopping and the like and then went to see Lady Gaga as one of my Christmas presents, so I'm real tired and now about to crash =) But seriously, that woman is an inspiration, no word of a lie! _

_But you still get an update!_

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

Penelope jolted awake to a bang and realised it was now dark outside, she realised sooner that that wake up did her no good. She lay still to regain some composure and then saw the pointed end of a tree come through the door.

"Ah you're awake," Derek said as he dragged the tree in, he saw Penelope's face as she watched with mixed emotions, guilt at not helping and the subtlety of pain. "I've got it, I'm a strong boy me." He winked as he went around the back of her towards the main window and slowly mounted the tree.

"Oh don't I know it," she said as she made no attempt just yet to move farther than she had. When she finally moved, she used her hands to guide her cast bound leg off and found Derek staring up at the biggest tree she'd seen in years, or well, near enough decades. "Wow." She breathed out shocked, her tone a little cut up with emotions.

Derek turned to look at her, "you moved." He said fast approaching all of a sudden.

"Yeah, I am a living breathing thing, Handsome, course I moved."She teased him gently, "some tree."

"I'm amazed I got one this amazing this close to Christmas."

Penelope groaned, "I've completely lost track of this month," she told him as she put a hand to her head in some frustration, "It's crazy."

"Not crazy, you were in a coma for 13 days, P, nothing crazy there."

Penelope looked up as he took her hand and crouched down by her.

"Is it bad I don't remember much of that day or the weekend before?" She asked him worriedly, "I-I know the doctor said it was expected but I don't remember what I did, if we had work, if we finished that case," her eyes were building the tears, "and the only thing I remember from that Tuesday is hitting ice and then seeing headlights."

"You hit your head pretty hard, Princess, the doc said that, and he said you might remember, but you just gotta give it time and not push it." He told her, his thumb running subconsciously along her hand in a bid to comfort her some. "Most_ normal_ people don't even make it through a crash like that." He teased her to lighten the mood, "You're just living proof that Oracles are indestructible."

"Tell that to my pain threshold," she told him and smiled as her fingers wound up laced with his, "so what's going on top of that mother of a tree?" She asked, trying to move the conversation on before she ended up dwelling too much and killing a good mood.

"I thought it was a more a daddy," Derek said as he stood up and looked at it again, "I mean look at it!"

"Handsome, it blocks my entire vision of this side of the room, how can I not look at it?" She joked with him and he laughed, "I mean it's huuuge!"

"That was exactly the reaction I was going for." He said and spun around with a smile full of pride on his face, "now I bought new decorations, a lot of purple in there," he winked at her, "but first I'm going to get some food cooking and then gonna go down into the basement and see if I can find the box of decorations down there."

"Can we not order in?" She asked him as she relaxed back some, "You just seemed to be running yourself into the ground and I can't help." She told him, her tone filled with hints of guilt, "I mean I could but I'd be threatened by a God to get my ass back down."

"Ah, so you know who owns this humble abode, and who wears the trousers."

Penelope smirked at him, "not for long. I don't take too kindly to orders."

"No, you definitely don't." He agreed with her, "right I have stuff to put away, I bought all the stuff over I thought you'd need, the girls had it all packed and waiting and I just grabbed a couple of things. You've got a whole load of post too."

Penelope groaned, "bills, bills, bills," she muttered under her breath.

"Well I brought it all over for whenever you wanna get through it and we can chuck out the junk stuff." He told her and then went into the hall and started bringing the bags through, all the shopping he'd gotten in, all her stuff that he knew was going to be needed to be left downstairs, all the essentials.

"Let me help somehow," she tried but he looked up, his eyes blazoned with her response, "or not."

"I just want you to rest up, do I need to remind you what happened?" He asks her as he sets a big bag down and winks at her, "I'm not letting you leave for a couple of weeks, Baby Girl."

She gulped at that, "you might very well be sick of me by then."

"It's gonna take a lot for me to get sick of you, and I mean a lot." He told her and then went into the kitchen, disappearing through the door that lead down to the basement.

She just slowly sunk onto the couch more, her legs coming up, her broken leg going slower and she just rested her hands on her tender stomach and watched the occasional light from passing cars as they passed by the house and fitted through the limit space left by the tree.

She was happy this room was huge, and had more than just the one window, she liked the view out of Derek's house, it was so much more different than hers, so much more homely. The again he didn't live in a 2nd floor, pokey little apartment. He actually owned a house that he'd made beautiful to live in.

She closed her eyes against the calm of the house and just let herself fall asleep, if she couldn't help him, she'd at least satisfy him by listening. What she didn't intend on was waking herself up by dreaming about Derek.

She pushed herself up, hearing Derek ordering Chinese by the sounds of it, and then using the coffee table she stood up gingerly and tried her hardest to manoeuvre towards the armchair so she could hop, slide, do something anything to reach the bathroom before she quite literally burst.

She lost her balance a couple of times and when she reached the armchair she hadn't realised Derek had made it back until his arm laced around her back to steady her.

"Hard head," he breathed out exasperated, "am I gonna need to get you a little bell?"

Penelope giggled, "no, Hot Stuff, you just need to remember I'm as hungry for independence as you are." She said as he just held her still, "Now can we please get to a toilet?"

He then nodded and scooped her up, "Derek, put me down!" She yelled, she knew if she struggled and he dropped her, she'd be in for an entirely new world of pain, but she knew if he couldn't support her weight then he'd drop her anyway. "Let me walk, please!" She panicked.

"Why don't you have faith in me?"

"It's not you I don't; it's the pain I know I'll feel if this ends badly."

He started to walk towards the down stairs loo, not letting going, "Don't ever doubt my ability to keep you safe okay?"

Penelope nodded meekly at him as he managed to hold her open the door, "thank you," she said and kissed his cheek gratefully.

"Call when you're done and I'll carry you back." He told her and pushed the door shut behind her, he then went back to packing away the shopping he'd gotten, putting the TV on as he went, he listened to it from the other room.

He frowned as he went back for Penelope moments later; he watched her slide out of the room, giving him the room to scoop her up once more.

"I'm gonna have to shoot out after dinner."

"Why?" She asked and smiled, "got a hot date you forgot about?" She teased.

"My hot date's here in my arms," he teased back at her and she laughed as he smiled childishly, "we've got a storm coming, blizzards, drifting snow, you name it, we're getting it, so I'm gonna go back to the shop and stock up big time."

"Let me pay towards some."

"Get better and I'll consider your fee paid." He told her as he laid her down gently, letting her face the TV and the still bare tree. "I'll get some wood in and we can kick start the fire, and tomorrow we can relax and decorate the tree, and the house."

"Sounds like bliss," she smiled at him.

"Well, Baby Girl, we're down to 6 days until Christmas now, I need to make this perfect." He said and grabbed a blanket and laid it over her, "oh and boy do I plan to make it perfect." He placed a kiss on her forehead and then went back to tidying up.

"You already have," Penelope whispered happily and just looked at the tree.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

**A/N:** _So who's still enjoying eh? =)_


	4. Needing A Woman's Touch

**Disclaimer: As always, I don't own a damn thing! **

**Song: **This Christmas – Donny Hathaway version

**Three prompts: **Strawberry lemon cheesecake/ Mistletoe/ Open fire

**A/N:** _No replies just yet, busy day, busy night, I'm slightly intoxicated ;) BUT update as per, hope you continue to enjoy!_

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

Penelope leant over the box the best she could, peering inside while Derek covered the coffee table and surrounding surfaces with baubles, tree ornaments, lights, tinsel.

"This," she said as he reached and grabbed something and held it up, "she needs to be on top of the tree." Penelope told him as she fell back with the angel in her hand, "she's perfect."

"Ah you and my momma have similar taste." Derek said as he pulled more stuff out, he looked like a kid on Christmas day. "Both two very important people in my life."

Penelope didn't look up, the sentiment hit her hard, she knew it was just her frame of mind, she'd been completely out of sorts since the waking up from the crash and her emotions had been the most affected.

She didn't know what it was about Derek, but he was her biggest trigger.

Derek looked up after the silence slipped in, he frowned, "you okay, Baby Girl?"

"Yup," Penelope said as he pretended to look at the stuff that were within her painless reach. "Perfectly fine," she said and looked up, her eyes clearing and she smiled, "so this?"

Derek dropped the box and went over and took it off of her, "is going on the tree now." He commented and then grabbed the step ladder he had and put it next to the tree and climbed it, and Penelope watched as he placed the antique angel on top and secured it. "How's that?"

"Perfect." Penelope commented as he smiled down at her and she was more swallowed by the smile on his lips than the angel upon the tree. She looked away fast, swallowing her emotions and cursed herself.

"You're acting strange, Pen, what's a matter?" He asked her as he stepped down and went and sat on the arm of the couch, "you've gotten really quiet."

Penelope kept the silence before sighing, "I was laying in bed last night and I started to remember bits of the crash that's all." She told him truthfully, her hands nervously wringing one another, "It's really weird because it's not like how I'd remembered something like getting up last week, or when we first met, it was so much more real." She looked up at him, her eyes wild like that of animal caught in headlights, "I could feel the pain, and the snow that was hitting me as it was falling and I felt actually blinded by the lights."

She looked up at him.

"An-and I remembered being trapped and thinking that I wasn't even going to see Christmas."

Derek moved all the things that were next to Penelope and put them on the table, he then slid next to her and pulled her into a hug, "it was close, Princess, it really was but it never happened, we've got five days until Christmas day, and like I promised you in the hospital, we're gonna make this the best."

Penelope pulled back stiffly and looked at him, "thank you for this." She said and smiled shyly, "you didn't have to do this for me, but I really, really appreciate it, more than you'll know." She then fell against his chest, "and probably more than I can ever tell you."

Derek didn't want to move, he had Penelope protected and safe in his arms and he was enjoying, cuddles always happened between them, but this one was beyond any other they'd shared. Their understanding of one another had shaped, he'd leant how missed out this time of year was for Penelope, and she'd leant how much he loved it.

He had one idea pop into his head, but he decided it could wait until tomorrow, more today he was going to decorate the tree with his Baby Girl, then make the biggest open fire he could and just cuddle her while they watched old Christmas movies.

"Just remember I'll drop anything for you, Baby, you name it, I'll be there." He said, pushing a kiss to her temple and then he stood up, all smiles and Penelope melted into a smile then. "Right, I think we need you in the armchair, so you can direct me where these need to go exactly."

"I'm sure you're a big boy, Handsome, to do that yourself."

Derek stood there, his hands on his hips, "a Christmas tree always needs a woman's touch." He told her and she laughed, "you're the only woman around here, and I want this tree perfect."

"Let's do this then." She said as she made her way to the edge of the couch, and as ever into Derek's ready arms.

Gently easing her down Penelope grabbed a bauble, "here's your first," she said and passed it to him, "don't say I never give you anything."

"Oh baby, you give me some new every day." He teased her back and took the bauble and went to the tree, "just say when."

She watched him moving around, and teasingly kept him doing it, "when," she said just as he was about say something.

"You did that deliberately." He said as he plonked the bauble on.

"Prove it," she said innocently, just as he turned around and looked at her and she threw the next tree decoration his way, he caught it effortlessly but pulled a face at her, "what?"

"No over exerting."

"I threw it with my good arm," she exclaimed, it wasn't a completely lie.

"What about the good side of the ribs?" He asked and turned to look at her, "yeah I know all your bumps and grazes, Baby Girl, no getting away from it. I knew well before you did."

Penelope scoffed, "I was too busy sleeping to care about the damage." She said coolly, using his own words on him, making him laugh again, "I should've slept all this off a little longer mind you."

"Oh hell no!" He exclaimed as he put the bauble on himself and jumped down to turn to her, "There is no way I could've gone for longer without hearing you tease me any longer. God thirteen days was hell as it was."

Penelope smiled as she handed him a miniature gingerbread house for the tree.

"You were breaking your promise to me," he told her, his lips pouting.

"How can I make it up to you now?" She asked him, knowing he was getting at her promising to never stop talking to him from the New York case. "Keep talking to you?"

"More so than usual." He dropped in and grabbed a load of the tree decoration, "what about tinsel and lights, Baby Girl?"

"Oh, erm, put some more of those on and then we'll do tinsel and work on," she paused, making him turn to her and he saw her face and chuckled, "these." She finished as she held the tangled lights up, she then looked up and smiled at him, "Christmas is never complete without untangling year old knots."

"Definitely isn't." He agreed with her.

Penelope looked thoughtful for a moment, "Now is this too strenuous or am I okay to work my _magic_ fingers on sorting these?" Penelope quipped sarcastically at him.

"If you're up for it after, I have certain other things you could use you magic fingers on." He asked huskily.

Penelope put the lights on her lap, "in your dreams buddy," she looked up, her pale lips in the biggest seductive smile he'd seen on her in a couple of weeks, "in your Penelope filled dreams."

"One day," he joked back hiding the pang of disappointment he was feeling as he went about putting the ornaments on the tree. He didn't know what was wrong with him, but something about that statement made some sort of longing bubble within him.

"Keep dreaming buster," Penelope told him, her tone low and concentrated on the wires.

What Derek didn't see was Penelope keep looking up at him and then putting her attention on the lights, trying to stop her head from making compromising thoughts and feelings. She put that down to the crash as well, mixing with her inner workings, making her even kookier than ever.

She sighed and that caught his attention.

"Everything okay?" Derek called over his shoulder.

"Success!" Penelope said, moving on from the sigh, "Lights are done and my stomach's calling the throat for food."

Derek put the remaining tree decorations he had on his fingers onto the tree and turned back with tinsel still wrapped around his neck, "how's Morgan's Italian surprise sound?"

"Is the surprise bit burnt offerings?"

"Nope, it's a secret."

"I think that's more ominous to be honest, Handsome." Penelope joked as Derek went to her and took the lights off of her.

"Well, let's just say, I know my Baby loves her an Italian, and I know her favourite dish."

"So really the surprise isn't a surprise, it's really stolen?" She joked with him and watched him disappear, "that's it! Leave the cripple behind!"

"You're not a cripple, Baby Girl." Derek called out, "just temporarily immobilised and easy."

Penelope's eyes widened and she began to laugh, "again, in – your - dreams, Hot Stuff!"

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

**A/N: **How you liking now? Want more?


	5. In The Wake Of The Night

**Disclaimer: As always, I don't own a damn thing! **

**For ****C.****...**

**Pairing: **Morgan/Garcia

**Song: **This Christmas – Donny Hathaway version

**Three prompts: **Strawberry lemon cheesecake/ Mistletoe/ Open fire

_Okay so my account fuffed up, I got no reviews, nothing from FF at all last night =/ So I decided to give up on replying all previous reviews and starting again... for you all... THANK YOU for loving this and I hope you continue to enjoy =)_

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

Derek stood in the doorway of Penelope's room, just watching her sleep, getting another reality check that she was alive and here with him, completely safe. That she was just sleeping in front of him.

"It's rude to stare," Penelope mumbled sleepily as she opened one eye and laid it straight onto him, "didn't your momma ever teach you that eh Handsome?"

Derek laughed and fell harder against the doorframe, "why are you awake?"

"Because there's an extremely hot man watching me sleep," she said as she pushed herself up a little, resting on elbows as much as she could, "it's a first." She joked as she fell back onto the multiple pillows around her and patted the side of the bed, "C'mon, come and lay with me, Handsome."

She spoke as she closed her eyes to the darkness and waited, only to pat a second time and heard his bare feet finally pad along the floorboards and then she felt the bed dip and his weight even out as he lay next to her.

Penelope looked at Derek and saw him watching her, she smiled at him then, even in the darkness he could see it and he smiled back.

"I'd turn for a cuddle but really it's quite difficult," she told him jokingly.

He chuckled as the silence settled around the both of them, the darkness cloaking them comfortably, neither moving, neither talking, both breathing in sync with one another.

"Does it hurt?" Derek finally asked into the dark, his eyes set on the ceiling.

"What part?" Penelope quipped and looked at him briefly and turned back to the ceiling. "There's a lot of aching going on," she told him truthfully, "sometimes my leg hurts other times it doesn't." She told him, something about this moment was different to when they were awake and downstairs, "my chest plays up, and I'm sore, but give me a pill or two and I'm right as rain."

Penelope's hand fell to her side and Derek just took it in hers, she responded by threading her fingers through his. It was a comfort for him to be there.

"Thank you for being there for me," she told him and breathed deeply, "I didn't expect anyone to be there that early in the morning."

Derek turned on his side so he was facing her, his hand very much still in his, "It was my first stop before work and first stop after work, I was hanging on to my phone every second just waiting to get a call from the hospital saying you'd woken up." He told her truthfully, "nothing else mattered, just that you had to wake up and then that morning I turned up, I sat and talked to you and you just squeezed my hand and I knew you were finally waking up."

Penelope sniffed back the tears, "I'm glad I wasn't alone," she said and looked at him, "but I didn't know you, heck, I didn't even know who I was but there was this feeling I was getting from you and it was like I needed more of it."

Derek smiled, even through the memory when she'd first woken up, "and then you said it," he told her gently, "H-Hot Stu-uff."

Penelope laughed as he mimicked her and she released his hand to swat his chest, "Try having a tube down your throat and then try and talk coherently and clearly."

"It was the most beautiful sound ever, Baby Girl." Derek told her and then moved in to kiss her cheek, to get her to go to sleep.

Penelope looked as he moved, not ready for him to leave but as she did their lips connected and he kissed her and she responded, it was only for a second or two and then it ended, they both stared at one another, waiting for the apocalypse to happen, waiting for the end of their relationship to occur, but it never did.

Penelope smiled coyly, "get under the covers, Derek." She ordered him lightly and looked up at him, "I'm not quite ready for you to leave just yet."

Derek got into the bed and pulled Penelope into his arms, letting her settle however was best for her, he didn't care about anything but having her sleep in his arms.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"What are you doing?" Penelope asked Derek as he carried her outside; completely bundle with one of his heavy jackets and her scarf, gloves, hat, none of her open to getting a chill of any type. "It's freezing."

"Two seconds, I wanted this done before this snow got any worse."

"When did you clear the drive and the path?" Penelope observed, she didn't know he'd done that he'd been out.

Derek laughed a little as he stopped half way down the pathway, "I get up to a lot while you're asleep on that couch."

"I know that, but to do out here, how are you still not a Derek sized icicle?"

"I'm a warm blooded male."

Penelope smirked as she used his hand to stable herself enough, "oh, yes you are," she said eying him up and down, giving his arm a quick squeeze. "You, sure, are."

"Silly girl," he told her and then stepped back, "right you stable? I mean for me to run in for something?"

"There's a tree about a hands grip away, I'm safe, handsome." She pointed out at the tree in his garden.

Derek smiled at how oblivious she was being, "right hang on."

She watched him begin to run into the house, "this better not be some trick to leave the cripple in the snow."

She heard Derek's laughter resonant, "I've said it once, I'll say it again you're not a cripple remember," he shouted out and disappeared into the house fully, leaving Penelope standing, looking at the house in the snow.

Penelope looked at the winter wonderland around her and smiled, she always loved the snow, and even though she couldn't exactly go out in it in her condition she fell in love with the purity of the white snow. She looked down at her leg, laughing into the scarf that Derek had inventively put a stocking on her leg to stop her toes getting cold and getting the bottom of the cast wet.

Her head snapped up as lights began to blaze around her and Derek sprinted from the house, jumped the steps that led to his door and then went to her, steadying her as she stared in bewilderment at the lights around the house and circulating the tree and bushes around her.

"Whatcha think?" He asked her, and looked at her awe struck face.

Penelope was spell bound as she ran her sights over the lighting, just looking at what Derek had mastered and she turned her attention onto him. Her smile just magnified like the lights on the house.

"You did this?"

He nodded, "I did it for you."

"Even though I technically can't see it all?" She asked him sarcastically.

"Even though you can't see it, you've still seen it." Derek told her and tightened his hold on her to keep her up. "You like?"

"I love it, thank you," she said and put her head to his chest and looked back at the house, Clooney running circles in the snow and she smiled, this was how she wanted her life to be.

She sighed at her momentary living of domestic bliss and then swallowed the thought. This was Derek, the confessed bachelor who had the house and the dog but didn't want the carrying counterpart. She knew that, she'd grown with their relationship, their chemistry bonded friendship knowing that, understanding that.

Yet her heart still seemed to take the same beating at knowing that she was falling for the wrong man.

"I promised you a perfect Christmas, and this contributes to that." He said and pushed a kiss into her hair, he could only guess where her mind was and if it was like his, it was on that small, minuscule kiss they shared together earlier that morning. "You ready to go back in?"

"Yeah, a certain God didn't think about me losing my nose." She teased him as she stood up straighter, and looked at him.

He smiled and took in her snowed kissed features, the rosy tint to her nose and cheeks, "I like seeing this bit of colour on you, you're not so pale and drained looking."

"I won't take that as an insult." She batted back as she allowed him to scoop her up, "you wait until I'm better, then you'll see that I can really rock the 'au naturel' look."

"Oh, I don't doubt you can't for anything in the world, Baby Girl." He said as he finally got her back in, carrying her over the threshold calling Clooney as he went and then kicking the door shut in one swift move.

It was getting to be like he and Penelope had lived together for years, not days.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

**A/N:**_ I'm catching up on myself here, I better get writing or no daily updates! _

_Liking where this is going?_


	6. Present Surprise

**Disclaimer: As always, I don't own a damn thing! **

**Song: **This Christmas – Donny Hathaway version

**Three prompts: **Strawberry lemon cheesecake/ Mistletoe/ Open fire

**A/N:** _Little bit of angst ahead..._

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

Penelope snuggled into Derek's arms, enjoying this domesticated bliss, the open fire roaring, the TV on, the minutes ticking closer to midnight, bringing in Christmas Eve. She was content with this; it reminded her of everything she'd been missing out on.

Sharing this time of year with a loved one.

"You okay?" Derek asked looking down at her, her head resting on his chest, "You've gone quiet, that scares me, Goddess."

Penelope laughed, admittedly off, "I'm just a little tired," she said as she pushed herself off of him and sat up right, "I don't have any presents for you."

"Pen, I understand, it's..."

"There's one," she said cutting into his sentence, "it's wrapped so it's something," she told him with a slight smile, "You okay to wait?"

"I can go to yours tomorrow and pick it up..." He suggested hopeful.

Penelope rose an eyebrow at him, "then you'll know what it is. It's easily opened."

"Is it in a bag?" He asked her and she nodded, "well then I won't see it, and I can give you wrapping paper and you wrap it and then you can put it under the tree."

Penelope smiled, "I had so many things to get you."

"You spoil me enough," he said and grabbed her hand, "shall we get you up to bed now?"

Penelope relented and allowed him to take her upstairs, and once again allowed him to help her undress and get into her PJs, she knew full well her current condition didn't leave room to argue and be independent.

It was either accept Derek's loving help or sleep and live in the same clothes day in, day out.

"How's that?" He asked her as he pulled the shirt down over her bandaged middle, "comfortable?"

"Completely," Penelope told him and he could see she was already half asleep.

"C'mon, Baby, let's get you into bed." He said and helped her like he always did.

Penelope grabbed his hand in hers, and smiled, "if you get lonely again, you know where my bed is, Hot Stuff."

Derek kissed her forehead, "I sure do," he told her and pulled the quilt right up and then left her room, going down to his to sink onto his bed.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"Right go into my bedroom," Penelope instructed over the phone when Derek finally made it to her apartment, she had tried to stop him, to try and keep in from the cold and snow but he wanted to get his present. "Right hard head; go to the drawers directly opposite my bed."

"Oooh pantie drawer?" He asked jokingly as he listened to her instructions.

"Sadly not handsome, this drawer's my _junk _drawer." She told him sweetly, "plus, my panties are in the drawer by the bed." She heard his silence, "On the opposite side of the room." She prompted him.

"Don't tempt me woman." He told her in a stifled growl, and he rolled his eyes as she giggled down the line, "now let me do this so I can get back to you as soon as, and then I have the real deal and the panties that go with her."

Penelope's breath hitched and she shook her head, ridding the thoughts.

"Top drawer," she instructed, moving the conversation on. "Gold box, multicoloured ribbon."

"The rather large flat box next to the photo of us two?" He asked her in awe, and without her knowing he starting looking at all the stuff, it was all things he'd given her. Birthday cards, Christmas cards, little gifts, pens he knew had run their course of life a long time ago, little trinkets from when he went to Chicago, random things that he'd given her. "Pen... what is this..."

"Come home, Handsome." She told him coolly, "I'll be waiting." She continued, not letting him finish that sentence at all, "drive carefully, and come back to me in one piece you hear? I don't have the strength to look after you right now."

"I'll be home before you know it, you just rest up and we'll get a movie on."

"Something funny." She told him and closed the phone, her heart beating a million beats to the dozen and she felt nervous, she wished she wasn't here now, she'd completely forgotten about the drawer.

Her main intention was to get Derek to grab his present and get home; she hadn't thought about anything else in the room, in her entire apartment for that, it was just all down to getting him in and out.

Now she felt embarrassed.

She looked around, she was only here as a result of the crash, she wouldn't have been here if she hadn't been involved in that, if she wasn't bruised and for the moment broken. Derek would, after all, have been in Chicago enjoying a proper Christmas, one with his mom and sisters around him.

She would probably be tucked up, away from daylight, enjoying a good book, or a soppy film, forgetting what time of year it was again.

She wiped the tears off her face, the bitterness of them twisting in her gut and she pushed herself up off of the sofa, somehow she was going to make it up stairs and just curl up until Derek was home.

For the moment she couldn't just sit there and wait for him to walk in. She didn't have the courage for that.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

Derek had stood at the door watching her, she was so involved in the ceiling she hadn't even noticed him come up the landing from the stairs, she had hardly blinked as well, she just stared above her, so consumed.

"Baby Girl..." he started, "how did you get up here?"

"Walked, well part of the way." She said and shrugged, "what's it matter? I made it."

Derek frowned at her tone, not liking it one bit. "Yeah but why?" He said as he climbed next to her, not looking at her, but copying her position. "I don't understand why you couldn't just wait for me to get home."

"I didn't want to be on the couch, I wanted to be on a bed."

Derek's frown deepened, "what's happened between me being at yours and me getting home?" He asked her, his worry gathering, her silence baffled him but then he took a shot in the dark, "is it that drawer?"

Now he looked at her.

"I was touched."

Penelope laughed at that, "touched? Of course." She scoffed.

"Penelope, what the hell is the matter?"

She just sat up at that, turning herself off of the bed the best she could, "it honestly doesn't matter." She said and was proud that her voice didn't share the tears that were marking her face. "It honestly doesn't matter."

"That's why you're crying." He told her, "I don't know what you want me to say."

"You do realise that I wouldn't be here if I hadn't crashed right? You would be in Chicago, not here with me." Penelope's heart clamped fiercely in her chest, "I wouldn't need looking after, and it'd be yet another Christmas."

Now the crying came and as Derek watched Penelope try to get to her feet, he got up andjust picked her up and took her back downstairs, sitting her on the couch he just pulled her into his arms, finally getting her where he wanted her.

In their own Christmas wonderland.

"This year is marking the difference, Baby Girl; I'm never letting you be alone again."

"How are you going to do that?" She asked him and her heart literally tore apart in her, "I'm not always going to be the one and only girl, there's gonna be someone else and she won't like you putting me first."

"I don't want anyone else; I want you and only you." He told her truthfully, keeping her close, making sure she understood. "I know how it looks, I know you think that if the crash hadn't have happened then we wouldn't be here and in all honesty, that would be the case. But I'm looking at the crash as a doorway, _our_ doorway, it opened my eyes to a lot of things and if I can regret anything it's letting it get to this point to wake up."

"Yeah, I wish it hadn't got to this to make you wake up and smell the roses." She told him as she calmed.

"So... if we're now on that understanding," he said as he pulled apart and grabbed a piece of mistletoe that Penelope had neglected to notice on her crying journey down in Derek's arms. "I'm in love with you Penelope, have been well before you'll ever believe and I will prove it to you."

He then held the mistletoe above her and smiled at her.

"Now for a kiss?"

Penelope reached up, pulled his hand down and knocked the mistletoe away. "You don't need to use plant life to kiss me, I've waited years for this, I don't want you to make excuses, I want you to just kiss me."

"Easily done." Derek said with completely certainty and then just leant down, lifted her head a little and captured her lips on his in their first proper, on purpose kiss.

Nothing in that moment made more sense than the love they had finally stopped dodging for one another.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

**A/N:** _Aha! Two out of three prompts used! Success! _

_Now for that romance on Christmas day..._


	7. Romance Of The Day

**Disclaimer: As always, I don't own a damn thing! **

**Song: **This Christmas – Donny Hathaway version

**Three prompts: **Strawberry lemon cheesecake/ Mistletoe/ Open fire

**A/N:** _Bit of Christmas day loving... as promised =)_

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

Penelope woke up to the smell of cooking, and immediately her stomach rumbled at it. She sat up on her elbows and looked around, she had no way to move and she could tell she was paying for moving around on her own now.

She soon realised there was one thing that was making her excited. It wasn't the presents, or the day, or the food that smelt so good, but the thought of Derek coming for her, to just see him today made everything so much better.

She fell back and just lay there, she wasn't going to be a hardhead and move and get downstairs on her own, she was going to allow Derek a moment of dominance that he loved so much.

"Someone want breakfast in bed?" Derek's voice came as he walked up the hallway and through the door.

Penelope looked down and her smile magnified.

"Morning Baby Girl." He told her as he put the tray on the dresser and went over to her, kissing her on the lips.

"Mmm," Penelope said as they pulled apart, "I'll show you a good morning, Hot Stuff." She breezed, "you have timing I must say."

"I like to call it my _Baby Girl instinct_; I know when you're awake and everything."

Penelope rose an eyebrow as she pushed herself up, "Sounds a bit like a stalker there, Handsome, I'm not gonna lie," she quipped and waited as he grabbed pillows to support her, "but what a good looking, sexy stalker you'd be."

Derek chuckled as pulled the quilt down and then turned for the breakfast tray, "so this is what you look for in a stalker huh?" He asked her.

Penelope nodded at him, "Yup, tall, dark _and_ handsome." She smiled at him and looked down at the breakfast he'd made her. Penelope's eyes watered as she read it.

"Merry Christmas Baby Girl." Derek said as he repeated the words he'd spelt out.

"Merry Christmas," was all she mastered and her smile grew, "you really know how to spoil a girl." She told him and watched him walking away, "where you going?"

"I'll be back, but I need to eat as well."

"Tell me you're bringing it up here." She asked him and just saw his head nod and watched him disappear, she watched him fully disappear and still she stared at where he once was.

Waking up to this man every day was heaven on earth and Penelope didn't want it to end, she never wanted to wake up in her apartment, and be alone again. It was with that that the dread grew in her, she knew once she was all healed and out of a cast, she would be home and away from him.

She shook her head, a lot could happen in the next couple of weeks, and for now she'd enjoy it.

Derek walked in and went to his side of the bed, "how's the eggs?"

"Delicious, my Chocolate Adonis." Penelope said mid mouthful, she swallowed and licked her lips and looked at him, "you sure you nearly burnt your mom's house down?"

Derek laughed, "In my defence I was young, okay?"

"You got better with age." She told him and went back to cutting up more of the pancakes, "and I don't mean just with cooking either."

"Eat up Silly Girl, so I can get you downstairs for some present opening." He ordered her.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

Penelope was sitting in wait in the living room, resting, and facing the tree. She was waiting for Derek to check the turkey; the last thing they wanted after all was a burnt turkey. Not just because it would ruin dinner but because Derek knew Penelope wouldn't let him leave it down.

She leant over for the remote and turned the volume up on the TV, and remembered the song from her childhood, her mom singing it while she prepared the dinner for them all and she smiled at the memory.

_Fireside blazing bright  
We're carolling through the night  
And this Christmas will be  
A very special Christmas for me_

She hummed it in her head, just like she remembered. It'd been years since she'd heard it and even longer since she sang the lyrics but she remembered them like it was only yesterday she'd heard it last.

"_Presents and cards are here, my world is filled with cheer, and you_," Derek came in singing out loud and Penelope twisted to look at him, "_This Christmas, and as I look around, your eyes outshine the town, they do, this Christmas_" He continued as he walked to the back of the couch and put his hands on it. "My momma used to sing it all the time." He told her.

"Yours and mine alike." Penelope told him with a coy smile.

He leant in, "and what I just sang was all true, Baby." He said as he kissed her gently. "You outshine everything possible." He said as he remained there, looking at her, leaning on the back of the couch, "you're absolutely beautiful you know that right?"

Penelope smiled coyly, and looked away as her cheeks flushed with the heat of a blush. Her heart swelled at it, no one ever called her beautiful, not even Kevin, not even when she'd dressed to impress when they went out. He never once gave her the look that Derek was giving her, and he sure as hell never went passed the compliment of 'you look nice' before going for the door.

"Look at me," Derek commanded her gently and she listened and look back up at him, "I should've told you a long time ago, and that's the one regret I have. I wished I'd told you sooner, I've never been so happy."

Penelope's smile widened, "You're doing a great job at catching up, Handsome."

"I'll give my life to beat the game," he said and winked at her, "I don't ever want you to leave."

Penelope's eyes widened, she felt the same, "we have us a little while yet, D."

"I'll convince you never to leave." He told her and pushed himself up and looked at the tree, "presents?" He asked her and she nodded and he went over and picked up one up, "you can have the one from JJ's first, she made a stipulation that the flat one is strictly from Henry."

Penelope watched as he grabbed a load of presents and scattered them on the coffee table, "gimme my little gumdrop's one first."

Derek handed Penelope the multicoloured box and watched her open it and she just stared at it, her lip trembled with adoration and she put it down and lifted out a piece of paper, her smile just blossomed.

"What did the kiddo get you?" He asked and Penelope just handed it over and he had to laugh a little, "Kid's got sense," he said as he looked at the picture of Penelope and him, JJ's hand writing clearly labelling who was who. "Let's see if any of these others can trump this." He told her as he placed the picture down and grabbed another box.

It was when they were down to six presents on the table that Penelope looked perplexed, "so whose are those? I can tell ones yours."

Derek smiled and leant forward, "Well they're all yours from me."

"Five?" Penelope asked shocked and felt guilty, "But I only got you one."

"Hey, we've been over this, Goddess, I'm fine with one," He told her, making her smile at how sweet he was, "so I'm gonna see what this is."

Penelope gulped, as she watched him grab his present and sit back and opened it, he stilled as he looked at it, and then he looked up at her and back down. "You did this."

Penelope shrugged, "It's nothing."

He laughed in disbelief as he pulled the frame out and looked at it, his fingers running over the details and the glass over the photo, "wow."

"Like I said, it's not much."

Derek looked up from the photo and smiled, "not much? Baby, this is the best gift I've ever been given!" He told her, "no one's ever made me something like this."

Penelope smiled as he got up and went to her, kissing her heavily, "I love you," he told her as though he were just taking another breath, "thank you for making my Christmas perfect."

Penelope didn't have chance to answer as he went over to the shelving unit under the TV and watched as he made room and put the photo frame down.

Derek backed away, looking at the photo of him and Penelope, wrapped in one another's arms, Penelope smiling away, Derek pushing a kiss onto her temple. The little picture joint onto one of the small frames held one of them dancing and the third photo was of them sitting asleep side by side.

Around the frame all little tad bits from their life together. The "Hey Gomez" moment printed onto the frame, nicknames, places, inside jokes. Penelope had put time into this present and for that he'd be eternally grateful.

"I just wanted you to know how much you mean to me." Penelope told him.

He turned to her and got down beside her, "I know how much I mean to you, I hear it whenever you worry about me during a case, or speak to me when we're at work or out, and I know how much I mean to you when you give me that look." He said and cupped her face, "That crash scared me because I didn't want to believe that you were so easily taken, Baby. I always had you on a pedestal, especially after Battle, I believed that you were invincible and I didn't need to tell you how I felt because you were always going to be here and then one day we were told we could lose you."

Penelope's eyes watered.

"I never, ever want to waste a day, P, I never want to lose a moment that I could have you as mine and hell, I don't want to wait for our right moment, it never happens. I just want you and me to stay as we are right now. I want to remain this madly in love with you forever."

"You won me over at Gomez," Penelope told him and kissed him, this time putting all her pent up emotion into it and all she felt was Derek respond perfectly.

He was her best Christmas present this year.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

**A/N:** _How's that for romantic Christmas day?_


	8. Why I Love You

**Disclaimer: As always, I don't own a damn thing! **

**Song: **This Christmas – Donny Hathaway version

**Three prompts: **Strawberry lemon cheesecake/ Mistletoe/ Open fire

**A/N: **_One more prompt left to use up... Right quick, early update guys, I'm ill, like fluey ill, and it's what? 4 days til Christmas! Sucks! But enjoy =)_

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"You've got just a little bit," Penelope said as she went for Derek's nose, "right about there." She finalised as she whipped the cream off of his nose and giggled as he grabbed her hand and stuck her finger in his mouth and licked the cream off.

"Mmm, tastes better that way." He said as licked his lips in satisfaction.

"Silly man," she commented as she took her a bite out of the strawberry lemon cheesecake. "You need to thank Momma Morgan for this recipe, it's yummy, Handsome."

"Eat it properly and I might."

"Eat it properly?" She asked him confused.

Derek just leant over, grabbed her remaining slice of cheesecake and put it to her lips, Penelope giggled as she caught him out trying to smear it around her face, "pay back's a bitch, Hot Stuff, bare that in mind."

"What pay back do you have in mind?"

"No presents next year." She threatened with a smile.

Derek grinned, "I have a present that's going to keep me going for a while."

Penelope leant in, ready to whisper into his ear, "fine, no kiss on New Year's Eve." She giggled as his jaw slacked some. "Yeah I know how to hit you where it hurts."

Derek set his plate down on his lap, "you know what?" He asked her seriously, and he saw Penelope's face lace with worry and impending hurt, "If you're cutting off a kiss then, then I'll just have to get my love's worth now." He said and put his hands either side of her face and kissed her the most ravenously he ever had.

Penelope was sky rocketed, she'd never felt a kiss like this, and she never wanted to have this as just a memory, she just wanted this to last. She could feel it all in her stomach, all bubbling up, the chemistry that Derek excited in her. She never felt this when any other man kissed her, never. This feeling was one that Derek and only Derek could incite in her.

She had to pull away as she became breathless; she did it regrettably, wishing she could do that for longer.

Penelope bit her lip, "you're truly amazing you know that right?" She asked him meekly, "absolutely magical."

"Comes with knowing you, Baby Girl." He mused at her as one hand remained on her face, gently keeping her eye contact dead with his, "you deserve the best, you deserve the world and everything precious in it."

"I'm not greedy," she said to him, "I just need you and my life's complete, always has been and I'm sure as hell that if anything comes my way I can survive it because I'll have you."

"Pen..."

"You showed me what love is, Derek." She told him truthfully, her eyes searching his, "I know this is all happening too fast but I'd never felt truly loved until I met you, and you became such a constant in my life, and sitting here, with you, I've never been happier."

Derek smiled at her, his eyes staring at her still.

"I could be curled up at home right now, alone, sad, but instead I have you here, and you've given more to me in the last couple of days than Kevin ever gave to me." She told him, "You gave up something that means a lot to you for me, no one's ever made me such a priority."

"I gave up one thing that meant a lot to me, for something else that means a lot to me." He whispered, his tone strained with emotions, "I love you so much, and I've just been waiting on the sidelines, and I saw you in that hospital bed, you looked so fragile, and I called my mom the moment I was pulled out and told her the change of plan. She's known for years I've loved you and she knew this was our time."

"I like the sounds of your mom, Derek." Penelope commented with a smile.

"She likes the sound of you too."

Penelope's eyes shot with shock then.

"Don't think I don't talk about you. It's hard not to, my sister's rip it out of me for it. Every time I can I will talk about you and I'll do it all night if I want to. You deserve to be spoken about."

"In a good way right?"

"In an excellent way in fact," he said and kissed her lips gently, "I'll talk about you until the sun stops shining." He said with a stern tone and she could read the seriousness of that statement. "When it comes to it, I will make you feel so loved that you won't have time to make comparisons because I'll make sure I'm nowhere near Lynch's standards."

"Can I just say one thing?" She cut in, her lips curled with a teasing grin.

"Only one?" He asked her, "my Baby Girl only has one thing to say?"

She swatted his chest at his testimony, "I just want to tell you that you come nowhere near Kevin's standard. Hell I now know that that _boy_ couldn't kiss for anything."

"Oh is that so?"

Penelope nodded, "you make me feel alive with just a kiss, heck even a touch and I'm electrified. It's just perfect, here, with you, Clooney, everything is just perfect."

"Let's it keep it that way." Derek concluded and pulled her closer into his arms.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

Penelope could feel from Derek's arm that he was asleep; the slack feeling told her that, his incoming snores verified it. She couldn't sleep, not even the pain meds swimming in her system, she just couldn't shut her minds off.

After his speech that day, she had found herself comparing Derek with Kevin and never, not even down to their touch, could she make a single comparison.

She had never ever met two totally different men.

She had no doubt that Kevin had nothing on Derek, but being here, in Derek's home and surrounded by his promises, Penelope felt like she'd finally found a part of herself and all along it had been sitting in wait in someone else's home.

Even Derek's snoring didn't bug her. Whereas with Kevin she'd tried everything in the book to stop Kevin's snores that drove her crazy in her biggest insomniac moments. With Derek, it was comforting, and materialised that she was here with him, happy.

Penelope turned her head in the dark and just wished for a single moment she could just curl up into his awaiting hug, but her injuries just wouldn't allow it and that hurt her more than anything. She knew it'd be only a matter of time before her sides were less painful, and her leg was just laying in wait to have the plaster taken away.

Then she'd give Derek so much more than gentle kisses and delicate touches.

She settled as his ran his hand up her arm, soothingly and Penelope closed her eyes at how perfect it felt.

"You okay?" Derek asked her sleepily as he pushed a kiss into her hair.

"Yeah," she said, her tone almost dreamily distant.

"You're not asleep." He stated the obvious and yawned, "it's still dark outside."

Penelope reached over to grab his hand, "I'm over thinking, Handsome, I'll fall asleep in a moment."

"I'm not sleeping without you."

Penelope laughed, "I don't think you get much choice." She told him softly and sighed.

"What's up, Baby?" He asked, now sounding more awake than before. "You're not relaxing, and you should be."

Penelope searched the ceiling for answers, but ended up drawing up blanks, and she sucked in a deep breath. "I wished we'd never had this situation bring out of us what we both feel. I know you're not doing it because you pity me or anything, but I can't show you how much I love you because it just hurts too much." Penelope closed her eyes, blinking away the tears, grateful Derek couldn't see her properly, "I just wish that it'd happen so differently you know?"

"I know how you feel, but you waking up, that was our second chance."

"What about Battle?" Penelope asked painfully quiet, "wasn't that our second chance? I shouldn't have survived that, Handsome, and I nearly didn't."

Derek turned so that Penelope was laying comfortably on the pillows with him towering over her, his eyes studying her, his expression calmed with concern and love, "okay, so this wasn't our second chance, but third time's the charm."

Penelope smiled at that, her woes depleting completely.

"If I could, I'd marry you right now and make sure you never had a doubt about where my love for you stems from."

Penelope placed her hand to his chest, directly on his heart, "there," she whispered, her eyes sparkling from the moon light hitting her tears, "God I've never felt like this Derek, and I never want to not feel like this."

"What is it you're feeling?"

"I'm feeling crazy in love." She told him truthfully, and Derek pecked her lips, "completely head over heels."

"Let's keep that feeling alive." He said as he kissed her passionately, learning that her damaged ribs didn't allow for a lot of halted breathing. He pulled back moments later, "I can't wait to kiss the panties off you when you're all healed up, Princess."

"Mmm," Penelope said, her tone sleepy now, "I can't wait for that day."

"Good thing I marked it on the calendar."

Penelope giggled and opened her eyes to look at him, "Lay back down, you've finally helped me get sleepy and I want cuddles."

"Count it as done," he said and kissed her one last time and then took her in his arms, letting her settle again and then he waited for her soft breathing to grow rhythmic before he closed her eyes and fell asleep himself.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

**A/N:** _Only two more chapters left guys! All things have to come to end... and this does too =)_


	9. Bringing In The New Year

**Disclaimer: As always, I don't own a damn thing! **

**Song: **This Christmas – Donny Hathaway version

**Three prompts: **Strawberry lemon cheesecake/ Mistletoe/ Open fire

**A/N:** _Penultimate chapter guys! Epilogue up after this =)_

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"Haaaaandsome!" Penelope called out as she sat on the armchair, her leg resting on a pillow comfortably. "Someone's at the door!"

"I heard, Baby Girl," he told her as he came through from the kitchen, he went behind her and put a mug of chocolate in front of him, "there you go, Princess."

"Aww! Hot Stuff, thank you!" She said as she took the unexpected drink in her hands and settled even more with the hot drink between her palms.

"You okay here?"

"Perfectly," she told him and he bent down and kissed the side of her head and then got up and went to the door as it rang again.

He swung it open and smiled, "shh," he told them all, "surprise her."

"Oh I plan to surprise her big time," JJ whispered and snuck in, pulling her gloves off her hands and sneaking into the living room.

She went up behind Penelope and then dropped her hands over her friend's eyes, "Guess who?"

Penelope smiled as she knew immediately, "Barny?" Penelope asked sarcastically and the hand's dropped and JJ came into view.

"Well look at you Garcie." She commented as she sat down on the coffee table and looked over enelope's healing features. "Well it's good to know Morgan's not killed you."

"Hey!" Derek called out as he came in with Henry in his arms, "I've fed and looked after my Baby Girl very well thank you."

"He has," Penelope said and looked at JJ, "why this appearance eh?" She asked her, "not that it's not appreciated, but it's a surprise."

"Whole point." JJ said as she leant in, "so how's the patient?"

"Less patient like, I did that at the hospital." Penelope told her truthfully, "where's my gumdrop? I need to thank him for one of the best presents."

"Oh you liked?"

"Loved," Penelope corrected her as Derek came to her side and placed Henry on her lap gently, "Hey my Gorgeous boy," she cooed and he threw his hands up for a hug.

"Penny!" He yelled at her and Penelope smiled as he threw himself into her arms for a proper hug.

Derek stood back with Will; put his hands to his shoulder, "thanks for this." Derek told his friend, his tone beyond most gratitude.

"Jen wanted to get back, she's been worried about Pen all over Christmas, and to be honest, leaving her best friend in a hospital bed to go have family fun wasn't that wise."

"How so?"

"We saw Hotch and Jack, that little boy wanted to go see his Aunt as much as Hotch wanted to see his tech."

"Why did you go?"

"We know what Pen's capable of." Will finished and smiled, and followed Derek as he went into the kitchen, "so do you regret giving up Christmas with your mom for this?"

Derek looked hurt at that implication.

"I don't mean it horribly, but Pen blackmailed us all, so..."

"Best Christmas I've had in years." Derek told Will, his tone filled with elation, "I managed to tell her how I feel, what can I say? The girl I've loved all along, loved me too."

"So can we expect an impromptu wedding and kids by next Christmas?"

Derek chuckled, "if I had it my way, probably, but I want Pen to understand this isn't because of the crash, that this is where I want to be with my life. I'll tell you one thing though." Derek said and leant in, "between you and me and these here walls, she will be my wife one day."

Will couldn't do a thing but smile at that.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

Penelope giggled as Derek scooped her up in his arms, in that familiar bridal carry; she put her hands around his neck and let him do what he did best. He carried her into living room, ready to place her down but stopped, his smile magnifying and he looked at Penelope who was silenced.

"Surprise!" Penelope heard but her mind had trouble working out if this was real or not.

Derek looked at Penelope, a little worried, "Baby?"

"What the hell is this?" Penelope asked, it was weird for her, she'd lived for so long seeing the team almost daily that having split from them for nearly a fortnight, or a month if you included her comatose period, was weird to finally have them all back in one room.

"Do you like it?" Derek asked as he went and placed her down gently, crouching next to her, "we thought we'd make New Year's Eve one helluva night."

Penelope's face broke into a hug smile, "you did that for me?" She asked tearfully as she looked at each of them and then looked down at Derek.

"They did it for me really, Sweet Thing," Derek teased her as he sat there, grinning at her, "We thought you deserved it."

"For?"

"Being you, Silly Girl," He told her and then stood up, "So accept it, that this New Year's is gonna be the best!"

"It already is," Penelope exclaimed ad smiled as Jack came towards her for a hug, Hotch not far behind him, greeting Penelope with a large smile. "You're cutting it fine to turn up aren't you?" Penelope teased as Jack climbed onto her lap with his dad's help. "3 hours until midnight." She joked as she looked up at the clock and then at Jack. "Did you have a good Christmas, Jackers?"

"Yeah!" He said to her excitedly, "Did you?"

"I sure did, Kiddo," she told him and accepted a bigger hug.

She completely missed Derek's look on her.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

After giving him a lot of troubles, Penelope now stood outside, in the darkness, snowing still falling all around, Derek by her side, the rest of their family scattered around, watching other people's fireworks going off.

The countdown for midnight only minutes away.

"Thank you for the best year ever, Sugar." Penelope said as she rested her head onto Derek's shoulder, "I couldn't have asked for anything better but to spend it with you."

"It's gonna be like this yearly now, you do realise that right?" He asked her, kissing her hair gently, "I'm gonna make sure it is."

"Hmm I'm looking forward to Christmas next year already." She mused happily, she sighed at Will as he picked Henry up as they played around, "Do you ever look at stuff like that and wish you had it?" Penelope asked Derek ambiguously.

Derek knew what she was talking about, "I sure do, I never used to but I can't wait for it." He told her truthfully, "I want a proper family, the house, the picket fences, the loving wife."

"Hmm, the doting husband sounds like an idea to me," she spoke quietly; "I love Henry to pieces, but hate not being a mom."

"All in due course," he told her and pulled her closer, "I will get what I want from you, and I will make you happy forever."

"Mm, you even make promises of forever sound doable."

"Oh believe me, Baby, forever is possible when it's us." He said and turned her and kissed her, heavily, pushing her to her lips and Penelope managed to hold on, keeping it going.

"Let's make it happen then." She told him, she had no room to doubt a thing, not after this Christmas, not after Derek's care, his declarations, he need for her to be here with him.

She knew their happily ever after was fast approaching.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

**A/N:** _Last chapter, hope you enjoy!_

Sorry about mistakes, I'm sick with the flu =(


	10. Trumping Last Year

**Disclaimer: As always, I don't own a damn thing! **

**Song: **This Christmas – Donny Hathaway version

**Three prompts: **Strawberry lemon cheesecake/ Mistletoe/ Open fire

**A/N:** _Here's your epilogue! _

_MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE =)_

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

**One Year Later**

Penelope giggled quietly as she saw Derek act completely oblivious as he targeted his sister; he hadn't even seen Penelope step out behind him.

She tossed the snowball around in her gloved hands, making it stick together perfectly, watching her prey as he crept ever closer to his baby sister.

Penelope just followed his footsteps across the garden.

She jumped behind the massive snowman and hid as Derek spun around; casting his eyes on the moon illuminated snow and then turned back when nothing caught his attention. Penelope peeked out for a moment and then saw he was looking so came back out into the open and stood behind him.

Derek rose his arm as Desiree stood unaware and Penelope mimicked and before he could throw his snowball, Penelope's was hurtling through the air and then connected straight on with the centre of Derek's head, exploding and covering him instantly in snow.

Derek's snowball dropped in an instance and he turned to see Penelope standing there watching him, innocence exuding her.

Even after a year he was still in love with her than he ever had been. That smile, the one that held so many messages still took him by surprise as the most beautiful thing anyone could give him. Yet he knew it was his whenever he wanted it.

He felt his lips curl into a smile as he fully turned to face her, his wicked smile sticking firmly, "so, what was that Baby Girl?" He asked her as he took a step closer to her.

Penelope tilted her head, "well, you see, it kinder looked like a snowball, Handsome."

"Oho, you think you're clever don't you?" He asked her as he got closer and closer.

"Not at all!" She objected, her giggling magnifying as he got ever closer and then she tried to get away but Derek caught her in his arms and began attacking her with kisses and tickles, making her laugh harder.

"Ah you're gonna ruin your Christmas if you're not nice to me!" Derek threatened her and then paused, her under him, her laughter dying slowly.

"No way!" She said to him, "you wouldn't hurt your Baby Girl in such a way."

"Wanna bet?" He asked her and pulled her down to the ground, letting her fall on him as he lay back in the snow outside his mom's house. "I don't think this is very fair." He told her and turned her over, reversing the position.

"It's wet and cold down here, Hot Stuff. Do you want me ill?"

Derek smirked, "remember, I know how to look after someone over the festivities, and I do a good job at it."

Penelope winked then, "oh, silly me to forget that." She quipped and saw his mom and sister creeping in on them and saw Fran signal to cover her face so she did and then heard the hitting of more snowballs and the light scattering of dispersing snow.

"Hey!" Derek yelled out as he was bombarded with snowballs, "I'm having a little moment here." He declared, disappointed, if not a little embarrassed to be reminded that his mom had just seen and watched all of this.

"Oh yeah, Derek, we know." Desiree moaned jokingly, "now let Penelope up so we can go in at last."

"Spoil sport."

"Na uh, Sugar, play nice." Penelope told him with a bright smile as he finally got off of her and then helped her up, "we've been out here for the past 4 hours messing around and if my watch is right, and boy is it never wrong," she winked, "then it's nearly midnight, which can only mean one thing."

Derek just watched her face.

"It's nearly Christmas Day!" She said excitedly, making Derek laughed, he'd firmly given Penelope her Christmas spirit back.

"Baby?" Derek called out as Penelope made her way in behind his mom and sister.

Penelope stopped as she made her way to the house, "what's up, Stud Muffin?" She asked halted Derek's mom and sister.

"How close to midnight are we?" He asked her and Penelope just shot him a look before shrugging and looking at her watch.

"You're on 20 second countdown, so if it's about getting in before you turn into Frost the snowman when the clock strikes the lovely hour then I'd run..."

Derek chuckled and walked towards her, "it's definitely not that." He told her and put his hand in his pocket and kept his eyes trained on Penelope, "but it might be this." He told her as he presented a ring, the moon and streetlights glistening on the diamonds that sat in the gold.

"Derek," Penelope started warily, twisting her head to look at him and the ring equally bewildered, "what's that?"

Derek just got to the right position and got down on one knee, aware that his mom was watching with her hands clasped to her chest, his sister standing with her arm around her, watching in anticipation.

"Last year my build up to Christmas was full of dread and I almost had to contemplate celebrating a Christmas without you around, and I don't mean you wouldn't be in the same house, or state, but you wouldn't be here at all. It woke me up to what I've had and taken for granted for too long and it made me act.

"Then, from dreading Christmas, I was looking forward to it, I had you back and with a promise to make it the best Christmas ever and I succeeded and now you're here, in my hometown for this year's Christmas and I still love you as much as I did that very first day and..."

He watched her eyes glistening now.

"Penelope, I want to trump last year and make 2011 the best Christmas of your life by asking you to be my wife."

Derek didn't get a verbal answer; Penelope just swallowed hard and then pushed him over, kissing him passionately as she pushed him into the snow.

"I told you, you were magical." She told him as she continued to kiss him, "I think I wanna marry you, Derek Morgan," she said and kissed him, "actually, I really, really want to marry you!"

Derek pushed her back a little, startling her.

"Lemme put the ring on your finger so we don't lose it in the snow yeah?" He asked her, "then we can resume this."

Penelope listen and then Derek wrapped his arms around her and kept her close to his as they kissed in the snow.

Derek really knew how to make a girl's year.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Tender Loving Christmas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

**A/N:** THE END!

_I'm finally getting better, still got 24 hours (well for me=P) 'til Christmas Day... I will be better ;)_

_Thanks for all the reviews, alerts and favourites and I hope you enjoyed the epilogue._


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